KUALA LUMPUR: A late-night shooting outside a shopping complex in Cheras has left two men dead, prompting fears of escalating violence in the capital.
The attack took place just after midnight at 12.15 am along Jalan Loke Yew, when the victims , believed to be in their 40s and from Sibu, Sarawak, were ambushed as they walked towards their car parked within the mall compound.
Eyewitnesses reported a group of men, all wearing helmets, sprinting towards the victims before opening fire at close range.
Several shots were discharged, striking both men in the head and body. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
Their bodies were found roughly five metres from their vehicle.
The assailants fled in a dark-coloured Perodua Alza. Police are now reviewing CCTV footage and taking statements from witnesses in an effort to track down the gunmen.
The case is being investigated as murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code. Kuala Lumpur police have not yet released the identities of the victims, pending confirmation and notification of next of kin.
The shooting comes on the heels of a separate gun attack in Brickfields last Friday, which saw one man fatally shot and two others injured.
In that incident, two men on a motorcycle opened fire on a group dining at a restaurant on Jalan Tun Sambanthan.
Authorities have not ruled out the possibility that the two incidents are connected, though investigations are ongoing.
Senior police sources have indicated that the victims in both cases may have been targeted, raising concerns over potential gang involvement or contract-style killings.
As Kuala Lumpur reels from the back-to-back shootings, police are urging anyone with information to come forward.
Increased patrols and surveillance have been deployed in known hotspots as part of a wider crackdown on gun violence in the city.
